The idea for the Autism Awareness Sock and the donation came from John who said, “Some of my best friends have autism and people should know how great they are.” We had a simple objective: Find a sock people would love so we could raise awareness about autism.

Mark X. Cronin, co-founder of the company said, “We want to honor the achievements, contributions and struggles of people with autism. By offering this sock, we help raise awareness of autism and raise money to support individuals with autism and their families.”

The multi-colored puzzle has long been a symbol for autism so we identified a sock design that included the multi-colored puzzle. This image represents both the puzzling nature of autism and the ways that people with autism make an important contribution to society. The bright colors represent the hope that comes from raising awareness of autism. SockSmith, a leading sock design shop in Santa Cruz, California, created and produced the socks. You can purchase the Autism Awareness Socks here.

To further the cause, the firm donate $1 from the sale of each sock to the Autism Society of America Nassau/Suffolk Chapter. Why this organization? “We shared our intent to offer an Autism Awareness sock on Facebook and received an overwhelming number of suggestions to donate to the Nassau Suffolk Autism Society of America (NSASA),” explained Mark X. Cronin. “People sung the praises of the good work NSASA does and the positive impact they’ve had on so many people and families.”

NSASA is dedicated to providing access and opportunity for all individuals within the autism spectrum and their families for their entire life. NSASA sponsors events and programs for people with autism and their families. These events include field trips to places like the Vanderbilt Planetarium, the Long Island Children’s Museum and White Post Farms. They hold meals at local restaurants and sponsor a Stand Up for Autism Comedy Night. As part of the national Autism Society of America, NSASA also leads education and advocacy initiatives. “We were impressed by the range of activities and the number of people and families who benefit from their programs. There is such a deep personal commitment,” said Mark Cronin.

About John’s Crazy Socks

John Cronin is a young man with Down Syndrome who inspired and co-founded John’s Crazy Socks with his father. We have a simple mission: to spread happiness through socks. The desire to share joy affects everything from the selection of socks to the packaging to the personal thank you notes that John puts in each package.

John’s Crazy Socks focuses on socks, service and giving back. We offer socks that you can love from the best sock designers in the country. There are beautiful and artistically drawn socks. There are funny and sassy socks. There are socks with words, socks with pictures and socks with abstract designs. Mostly, there are socks you can love or can give knowing the recipient will love them.

We bake happiness into our service. We want you to have the socks as fast as possible, so we ship orders the same day that we receive them. And we make the packages personal: every order includes a hand-written thank you note from John and some sweets. We ship across the U.S. and across the world, but John still makes door-to-door local deliveries. John says, “I like to meet our customers and make them happy.”

Giving Back is an Important Part of the Company’s Mission

Our mission includes a commitment to give back. We have pledged five percent of our profits to the Special Olympics. John is a Special Olympics athlete who competes in many sports (e.g., soccer, basketball, floor hockey, track, bowling and snowshoe). We have seen the tremendous benefits the Special Olympics gives to the athletes, their families and all who contribute to the program.

Donating funds for autism is a natural part of our way of doing business. We were glad to hear from our customers about Autism Society of America Nassau/Suffolk Chapter. Executive Director Suzanne Reeks has worked hard to educate us about their many programs. Ms. Reeks said, “Thank you so much for considering the Nassau/Suffolk Autism Society of America- NSASA! All money donated will go directly back into the community. Thanks so much.”

To learn more about the Nassau Suffolk Autism Society of America (NSASA), you can visit their website or call (516) 404-2306.